‘Tea house at Koishikawa the Morning After a Snowfall’ by Hokusai c1830 {{PD-Art}}

Starting on the 22nd, Vesta creeps in to create a T-square with big guns Pluto and Uranus. How, we might ask, will this change a dynamic Cardinal picture that has on-and-off been driving action for months? It introduces what may be a fairly surprising factor to the equation: our care for home, the intimate partner, and those matters in life we find sacred, are suddenly being weighed against the push for change and expression of each individual’s uniqueness (or against each individual’s role within the group). Innovation and invention, the power to truly affect circumstances, and the deep need to eliminate certain unproductive elements in the life will all threaten those sacred causes and sacred personal spaces, including relationships.

The square between heavies Pluto and Uranus perfects once again on the 20th, and may by its familiarity persuade us that, though we’re knee-deep in resolving the conflict (which could feel like many things; it doesn’t necessarily present as something over which we appear to have direct control–this likely dependent on the natal Houses through which they’re transiting and the natal situation for them itself) we may not anticipate that there are new dimensions yet to show themselves that are either a direct result of the square, or that come about because of actions we take to resolve the square. It’s highly possible we’ll see the Vestal upset as our own fault, springing from something we or others may categorize as selfish–but who will look out for us, if we don’t? And we must ask ourselves, when others criticize our choices, is it fair for me to put myself first? Nine times out of ten, the answer will be a resounding ‘Yes’.

So, we grapple, and then must deal with the repercussions of this on our intimate relationships, on our home situation, and to our causes, those things we find sacred as well as those things to which we dedicate our life energy. How are we to know that we are handling things ‘correctly’? The first ‘test’ may be the issue of fairness to ourselves; solutions are no good for anyone when we sacrifice our well-being to satisfy someone else. The next criterion may be recognizing the need for elimination or change to particular facets of our lives–the overarching purpose of the square is just that, and can’t be set aside to preserve outmoded elements that really must go, or that at the very least must morph to accommodate current conditions and needs. Lastly, we must be willing–to do what needs doing, to meet all challenges with a loving heart, and to choose what’s best for ourselves even as we vow not to harm others (and here we should note, we are not responsible for others’ hurt and pain that is in reaction to our choices–it’s vain to think we can control others’ reactions to us, and it’s manipulative for others to believe we should tailor our actions to their feelings).

If we face the conflicts and challenges presented by the square with a pure intent, meeting the circumstances with the idea of doing what’s best for all concerned, we are likely to find resolutions presenting themselves sooner rather than later–it’s our own resistance to what we know we must do, leave behind, or change that drags out difficulties. There are many possible outcomes to Uranus-Pluto, but all involve release, and taking in something new, an evolution of circumstances that reflects an individual revolution in consciousness–and since there’s no way to stop it, we’d be much better off embracing it, no matter what we think we know about how things ‘should be’.